Today, August 28, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, Economic Policy Institute Vice President Ross Eisenbrey and Center for Social Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston Research Director Françoise Carré will hold a media teleconference to discuss yesterday’s 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rulings that FedEx drivers in California and Oregon should be classified as employees, not independent contractors.

Companies, including FedEx, have put more and more of the risk, responsibility, and cost on their employees—requiring employees to pay their own employment taxes, to do without worker’s comp coverage, to pay for their own uniforms, and to rent the tools they need to work. As part of a corporate obsession to cut labor costs, misclassification has robbed workers of fair pay and benefits, resulting in an economy where wages are flat, profits are soaring, and CEOs and top brass get the lion’s share of pay increases. The companies that don’t arrange their business to avoid their employment responsibilities are disadvantaged. It’s not just bad labor practices, it’s unfair competition.

By deciding as a matter of California and Oregon law that FedEx’s schemes did not transform their employees into independent contractors, the Court of Appeals has struck a blow against a practice that is undermining labor standards across the nation.

What: Press call to discuss yesterday’s ruling on FedEx and employee misclassification
Who: EPI Vice President Ross Eisenbrey
Center for Social Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston Research Director Françoise Carré
When: Today, August 28, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern
Call-in number: 800-351-4898
Passcode: 234099

To RSVP email news@epi.org.

A recording of this teleconference is available here.